Kokoro no Uta
by Mikazuki no Miko
Summary: AU. Hinata is a new nurse in Konoha Hospital. She is assigned to take care of Uzumaki Naruto, a man with amnesia from a plane crash. Will she be able to mend the emotional hole in his heart? Or will someone else mend it? After all, Hinata was born mute.
1. Chapter 1: Crippled Man, Mute Woman

**Author's Note: **Hello, hello…Welcome to my second fanfic. Main pair will be NaruHina. Other pairs aren't decided yet…but NaruHina is definite.

**Legend:**

"Hello"…normal

'_Hello'_…thoughts/flashback

0000000000...Hello...0000000000…scene change

(Hello)…Hinata

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto…and I probably never will!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Crippled Man, Mute Woman**

"_I'm leaving for Konoha tomorrow," Uzumaki Naruto said softly, gazing out at the orange-strained horizon. The pink-haired girl beside him looked at him with surprised eyes._

"_Tomorrow…? But…" she stuttered, burying her face in her hands in disbelief._

"_I know it's so soon, Sakura-chan…But you've got to understand! I've been waiting for this chance all my life! And you can't come with me…you've just been accepted into Tokyo medical school." The blonde replied, and flashed Sakura his trademark smile – the smile she had always loved. So she smiled too, although she was hurting inside._

"_I know. I won't stop you…but I'll miss you." She said quietly, and she looked up at him. The two leaned in for a kiss…it was long, passionate, but sad. They tried to enjoy the moment, though – it might be the last kiss they'll ever share in a long time. They broke away after a while, and Naruto pulled Sakura into a warm embrace._

"_I'll miss you too, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, breathing into her soft shoulder-length hair. Sakura nodded, tears threatening to fall, but she held them back. "You have a dream, and so do I. So promise me this: When I return, you'll have accomplished your dream of being a doctor…because by then, I'll have achieved my dream." She could only nod as she listened to him. She wished she could say something more, but she found that her lips wouldn't move, and she couldn't bring herself to let out a sound. The two broke away slowly, and Naruto turned around to leave. "Well, see you, Sakura-chan." He said, not looking at her. Sakura just stared after the retreating form of the man she had loved for more than 2 years. The gravity-defying, ridiculously bright blond hair spiked upon his head…his deep sapphire blue eyes…the orange jacket he wore everyday, no matter what occasion…She stifled a sob and walked away, back to her house._

_0000000000...At Tokyo Airport...0000000000_

_The blaring noise of the airplane was deafening as Naruto prepared to climb onto the plane. It was small, so it was required for him to walk outside onto the field to ride it. Just as he was about to climb in, however, a familiar voice shouted through over the roar._

"_NARUTO!" Naruto turned around slowly, and it was almost in slow motion – there was Sakura, pink hair blowing wildly around her in the wind, her loose red skirt billowing around her legs – and his sapphire eyes widened._

"_S…SAKURA-CHAN?" He exclaimed, and could only stare in surprise. What was she doing there? Sakura walked closer to the airplane so that he could hear her better._

"_Naruto…I…I just wanted to say…" Sakura shouted, impatiently pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I just wanted to say…You'd better come back! Because…I love you!" she yelled the last part as loud as she could. Naruto didn't say anything. Sakura looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "So…you have to promise me…you have to promise me that we'll meet again, okay?" she said, managing a teary smile. Naruto grinned back. She loved his smiles; they were always so reassuring and carefree._

"_Alright…I promise. And also…I have something to say to you, too!" he said. A flight attendant walked out of the plane, and tapped him on the shoulder._

"_We have to leave soon." He whispered, and Naruto impatiently nodded. He turned back to Sakura._

"_I…When I come back, I'll… I'LL MARRY YOU!" he shouted. The plane's roar was getting louder, signaling that it was going to take off soon. Sakura's eyes widened. Marry her? She wiped her tears away._

"…_you promise you'll marry me?" she asked, and Naruto nodded. Just then, he was escorted hurriedly into the plane by two attendants. The plane started moving, and Naruto banged on the airplane windows. He shouted something that sounded like "I promise I'll come back and marry you!" Sakura nodded, and she turned away, hugging herself as the plane took off into the sky._

'_Please come back soon…Naruto…'_

0000000000…A few days later, in the Konoha Hospital…0000000000

"So you're Hyuuga Hinata, right? Welcome to Konoha Hospital! I've been assigned to lead you around the hospital and help you get to know the other nurses…I'm Tenten, by the way." A cheerful, bun-haired brunette said cheerfully. Hinata nodded. She rummaged in her pocket, and pulled out a notebook with a pen clipped onto it. She wrote something on one page, and showed it to Tenten.

(What job do you have in Konoha Hospital?) Tenten smiled.

"I'm a surgeon. I perform open-heart surgeries…it's not an easy job, but I get paid large amounts of money and I tend to feel proud when I save someone's life. Oh, what job were you assigned again? Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention to Kakashi-sensei." She replied.

(Kakashi-sensei assigned me to take care of patient #1313…but I don't know the person's name.) Hinata wrote.

"Patient #1313…Oh, I think I heard of one the nurses say that his name is Uzumaki Naruto…They told me that he was the only one who survived the plane crash in Suna. Since Suna doesn't have any good hospitals, they quickly brought his body here. He broke all of his bones and he has a case of amnesia from what I've heard. And," Tenten said, and lowered her voice slightly. "Lee, who is one of the bone-specialists, told me that he'll probably never walk again. They're trying all they can, but the chance of him walking or running around after recovering is practically impossible." Hinata's eyes softened with sympathy and concern for the patient…Uzumaki Naruto, was it?

(Will he live?) She asked, and Tenten nodded.

"Yeah, the doctors said he'll live. Actually, he regained consciousness last night. The only thing he remembered about himself was his name, though. He can't remember any family members or friends. Some investigators and police are coming in tomorrow to find out where he is from. But the plane he was on was marked 'Tokyo', so I'm guessing he's from Tokyo." The two women arrived in the nurses' lounge. "Well, enough about the patient. You'll meet him sometime today. First of all, this is where the nurses hang out during lunch break or when they're taking a rest. There's a cafeteria over there, and a washroom, too. Oh, here comes some of the nurses! I'll introduce you to them." Tenten said brightly, and just then, several people walked in. 2 of them were women, and two were men. One girl had long platinum-blond hair tied up in a ponytail, and the other girl had dirty-blond hair tied into four pigtails. One of the men had a ridiculous bowl-cut hairstyle and abnormally thick eyebrows while the other man had long, silky-looking dark brown hair tied at the bottom and silvery pale-lavender eyes. Hinata's own pale-lavender eyes widened visibly at the sight of him, and Tenten noticed this.

"Do you know Neji, Hinata?" she asked, looking between the two. "Wait a moment…Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji? Are you two siblings?" she exclaimed, and Hinata smiled slightly at the brunette's outburst.

"We're not siblings. We're cousins." Neji replied calmly. The two blond girls and the guy with the fuzzy eyebrows looked at him in disbelief.

"Cousins? Hyuuga, you had a cousin?" the girl with the four pigtails asked.

"How come you never told us?" the pony tailed-girl asked, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I thought we were your friends!" the fuzzy-browed man exclaimed hysterically, and Neji's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"First of all, why would I tell anyone about my family. Second of all, since when were you people my friends?" he stated simply, glaring at them. However, Tenten wasn't affected at all by his intimidating glare.

"Since you were 5 years old and needed me or Lee to accompany you to the bathroom. When I came with you, you'd try to pull me in the men's bathroom with you because you were afraid of murderers in the stalls." She replied dryly, and everyone started to snicker. Neji eyebrow twitched again, this time more visibly, and promptly walked out of the room.

"Yeah, go Tenten! You sure kick some Hyuuga-butt!" the pony tailed-girl cheered.

"Heh, I had to deal with that ice block ever since I was 5. Oops, sorry Hinata, I totally forgot about you! Everyone, this is Hyuuga Hinata. She's a nurse of Konoha Hospital starting from today." Tenten said, and Hinata bowed slightly to everyone. She pulled out her notebook, wrote something, and showed it to the blonds and the remaining man.

(Nice to meet you, everyone.) Hinata had written, and she smiled.

"Oh! So you're the new nurse! I'm Yamanaka Ino, the secretary of this hospital." The pony tailed girl said happily.

"I'm Temari, a physician. Nice to meet you, too!" the girl with the four pigtails said with a wink.

"Me, I'm Rock Lee! One of the proud bone-specialists of Konoha Hospital!" the man with the bowl-cut hair greeted enthusiastically.

"And I guess you've already met Hyuuga Neji, another surgeon. He does open-heart surgeries as well." Tenten finished, and Hinata nodded.

"So," Ino suddenly said, looking curiously at Hinata. "You're mute?" Temari growled at her question, while Tenten shot her a glare.

"Ino!" Temari yelled warningly, but stopped when Hinata placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned to Ino and nodded with a small smile on her face.

(I was born with the insides of my throat damaged.) Hinata wrote, and Ino nodded understandingly.

"I see…Sorry if I appeared rude, I was just curious." She said apologetically.

"Your curiosity gets the better of you sometimes…" Temari sighed.

"I totally agree," Tenten said, nodding.

"Hey!" Ino pouted, and Tenten chuckled.

"We should be going now. Come on, Hinata, I'll lead you to your patient." She said, and Temari spoke up.

"Your patient…? Oh, Uzumaki Naruto? Ouch, I really feel sorry for you!" she exclaimed, clasping her hand to her forehead. When Hinata looked at her questioningly, Ino decided to answer.

"You see, that man is a real pain! I've witnessed one of his…fits…and it wasn't a pretty sight! He throws stuff, he yells, he makes a big mess…The psychologists and some mental therapists say that it's because he's mentally unstable. I don't blame him, waking up with no memories of yourself should be quite stressful and confusing, but still…" she replied, and gave a reassuring pat on Hinata's shoulder. "But I'm sure you'll do fine! Even if you mess up, Kakashi-sensei will probably give you break…After all, don't forget that it's only your first day here!" Temari glanced at the clock hanging on the wall opposite of them.

"Oh no, Ino, we've got to go now! Break time is over!" she exclaimed, and Ino gasped.

"Oh no! Um, bye Hinata-chan! We'll talk more at lunchtime, okay?" she said quickly, and she dashed out of the room.

"I've got a meeting in 5 minutes…See you later, Hinata, Tenten." Temari said, and also walked out of the room. Tenten smiled.

"We should be going, too. And don't worry about what Ino and Temari said," she said reassuringly at the worried look on Hinata's face. "Remember, it's your first time here and no one will blame you if you do something wrong." Hinata nodded in thanks and the two walked out of the lounge.

0000000000…Room 1313…0000000000

A bowl of porridge flew through the air and landed with a deafening crash on the tiled floor. Rice porridge splattered everywhere, staining the white cotton curtains. A glass plate shattered onto the floor as well, sending many pieces of glass shooting under the bed and under the tables and chairs.

"Naruto-san, please calm down!" a lady with short black hair exclaimed, trying to calm the enraged man down. But the blond man wouldn't listen; he just let out another furious roar and roughly pushed the nurse away.

"Get away from me! Leave me alone!" Naruto yelled, and proceeded to throw various stuff across the room. However, he stopped abruptly when he felt searing pain in his arms and legs. He plopped back down on the bed, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Naruto-san!" the nurse cried in alarm. She looked at the mess on the floor and the walls, and back at him. She grabbed a broom started to sweep frantically, pushing the pieces of broken glass to the side. When a little pathway was cleared, she tiptoed across the room and opened the door, only to crash into someone or something.

Meanwhile, Tenten and Hinata had arrived in front of a white door that had a plaque. On the silver plaque it had "Room #1313" written in slightly faded black letters.

"This is it," Tenten said, and Hinata opened the door…only to get hit hard on the chest by something hard.

"Ahh!" someone screamed, and Hinata winced as she landed hard on the tiled floor.

"Hinata! Are you okay?" Tenten exclaimed, and Hinata nodded.

"Ouch…I'm so sorry…" someone whimpered. In front of them was a woman with short black hair and black eyes.

"Shizune-san!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Ah, Tenten-san! What are you doing here?" the woman, whose name was Shizune, asked. Tenten gestured towards Hinata.

"This is Hyuuga Hinata, and she's been assigned as the new caretaker of Uzumaki Naruto." She replied, and Hinata bowed.

"Oh really? Nice to meet you, I'm Shizune." Shizune said nervously. Hinata took out her notebook and wrote something down hurriedly.

(Is something going on in there? I heard noises.) Shizune grimaced.

"Ummm…you see…um, well…Naruto-san just had one of his…anger bursts again." She mumbled. She suddenly looked at Hinata in confusion. "But…why use a notebook and pen to speak?"

"She's…mute." Tenten explained simply.

"Ah, I see…I'm sorry for my foolishness, it should be so obvious you're disabled…I mean mute…oh great, I'm babbling again…Um, I'll go get a broom, so Hinata-san, just go in there and watch Naruto-san, okay?" Shizune said quickly, and darted off somewhere. Tenten sighed as she watched the older woman trip on something and fall, only to get up as if nothing happened and kept on running.

"I'm always worried about her…She's older than us, but she babbles when she's nervous or scared and she's really clumsy. She gets frightened easily, too. Hey, but she's quite friendly once you get to know her. Hinata nodded in understanding. Tenten glanced at her wristwatch.

"Oh great, I have a patient coming in 10 minutes…I should be going soon!" she turned to Hinata. "Well, I'm sure you'll do great. See you at the nurses' lounge at lunchtime, okay?" Hinata smiled and nodded. Tenten hurriedly walked away, leaving Hinata standing in front of the door. Hinata cautiously opened the door and walked in quietly. She saw a young man with spiky blond hair and bandages covering his face and his whole body. If it wasn't for his eyes, nose, and mouth peeking through the wraps, he would have looked like a mummy. Hinata was surprised to see that the man had the most deep sapphire eyes she had ever seen…but they were filled with so much sadness. She felt a pang of sympathy in her heart when she witnessed a single tear well up in one of the sapphire orbs and trickle slowly down the tanned skin and seeped into the bandages. Suddenly, he noticed Hinata's presence. The man sat up gingerly and stared at her pale-lavender eyes with his.

"…who are you?" he asked in a dull, flat-sounding voice. "If you're here to give me food or something, forget it. I'm not hungry." Hinata slowly walked over to him. She pulled out her notebook and pen and neatly wrote her name and showed it to him.

(My name is Hyuuga Hinata.) Naruto raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you mute or something?" he asked rudely, but to his surprise, she wasn't affected at all by his harsh tone. Instead, she just smiled. It was a sincere smile, one that he hadn't seen before…or had he? The smile seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything. "I'll take that as a yes. So, what are you doing here?" he asked again.

(I was assigned as your caretaker.) Hinata wrote.

"Hn…I see. Well, do what you want. I'm going to sleep." Naruto announced carelessly, and lay back down on the bed. Hinata took a broom from one of the closets and started to sweep the pieces of glass into a garbage bag. Meanwhile, Naruto lay on his bed, thinking.

'_She seems like a nice person…unlike those fussy, overly-sympathetic nurses. I wonder if…wait, that can't be possible. Yeah…I'm just tired right now. If she sees me in my angered state, she'll leave too, like the other nurses. I'm sure of it.' _And so Naruto rolled over onto his side and fell into a dream of darkness once more, and the kind, sincere smile that he thought he'd seen before…but when?

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

Well, that was the first chapter. What do you think? The next chapters will be focused more on Hinata. So…do you:

Have any suggestions for the other pairs? Then **REVIEW.**

Have any advice for improving my writing? Then leave a good, lengthy **REVIEW.**

Have nothing to say but "Great job"? It's okay. **REVIEW.**

Have nothing to do but flame other people's writing? **THEN DON'T REVIEW AT ALL!**

Constructive criticism and helpful advice are welcomed with open arms, but unnecessary or nonsense flames (i.e.: YOU SUCK! or YOU'RE HORRIBLE AT WRITING!) will be ignored. Simple as that.


	2. Chapter 2: A Broken Past

**Author's Note: **Okay, I have something to say. I have more than 15 hits but only a few reviews. Why is that? I know I said that if you have nothing to say other than "You suck", then don't review, but does that mean everyone thinks this story sucks? Come on, people! Don't be lazy and **REVIEW**. If you see something wrong with my fanfic, then tell me! It's as simple as that! Don't leave me ignorant of all my problems and tell me what I should do to improve! Or if there's nothing wrong with my fic, then at least tell me "Great job" or something that. I need encouragement to make sure that people enjoy my writing!

Oh, but to those who DID review, thank-you very much! (smiles)

**Legend:**

"Hello"…normal

'_Hello'_…thoughts

_Hello_…flashback/memories

(Hello)…Hinata

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto and I probably never will.

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Broken Past**

Tenten drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, waiting impatiently for the red light to change into green light.

'_I going to be late!' _she thought angrily, glaring at the honking cars around her. It was her fault for waking up late, and it was also her mistake of going on the highway at that time, but it's not like she had a choice. Her patient's parents yesterday had been hysterical, threatening to sue her if their precious son died during surgery. Tenten had patiently reminded them that there was always a chance of death while in surgery, and then had reassured them (or at least tried to) that Konoha Hospital's surgeons were all specialists and they only lost a couple of patients a year. Well, it was true. The doctors were all specialists, and only the best of the best were surgeons. And it was no doubt that they hardly lost a patient. So why was she so worried about this particular patient?

'_Get a grip, Tenten…You have to be calm.' _Tenten told herself mentally, and drove forward when the red light finally turned green. _'Here we go…'_

0000000000…Konoha Hospital…0000000000

"Good morning, Hinata-chan!" Ino greeted brightly when Hinata entered the main floor of the hospital. Hinata nodded in greeting and gave a friendly smile. Temari appeared at the entrance as well.

"Yo, Hinata," She said, lifting a hand in greeting. "I'd like a chat, but I have a patient in 10 minutes, so I have to get ready. See ya!"

"Hinata, here are the keys to room #1313. Good luck!" Ino said cheerfully, and handed a set of silver keys to Hinata. Hinata nodded a thank-you and walked towards the elevator.

Just then, Tenten burst through the door, panting heavily. She saw Hinata walking towards the elevator.

"Oh, Tenten! Good morn…" Ino barely had enough time to say a greeting until Tenten sped past, yelling.

"HINATA! WAIT!" she yelled, and Hinata turned around with a confused look on her face. She stepped in the elevator, and the elevator door was about to close, until Tenten put on a burst of speed, jumped, and slid through the closing doors just in time. She sighed in relief, and Hinata looked at her with a surprised expression before smiling with an amused twinkle in her eyes. Tenten gave her a thumbs-up. Hinata helped her up, and Tenten brushed off dirt from her jeans and red shirt. She fixed her hair, which had become messy and loose from their buns during Tenten's "dynamic elevator-entry". Hinata took out her notepad.

(What floor?) She wrote.

"Ah, um…the 5th floor." Tenten replied hurriedly, and Hinata pressed the 5th floor button after pressing the 3rd floor button. "So, how was your day yesterday?" Tenten asked while the elevator moved upwards.

(Uzumaki-san slept most of the time, so nothing really happened.) Hinata answered. Tenten nodded.

"Okay. Just wondering, because most of the nurses who took care of him before quit their job after the first day! But I'm glad you made it through. Oh, we're at the 3rd floor now." She said, and Hinata waved a good-bye to Tenten before walking out of the elevator.

0000000000…Room #1313…0000000000

Naruto stared out the window, which was open. A cool breeze blew in, gently caressing his spiky blond hair. The sky was blue and cloudless outside, and he watched as the birds circled around each other. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door.

'_I wonder if it's that Hinata-person again…' _he thought.

"Come in." he called in a bored voice. Sure enough, the girl with chin-length midnight-blue hair and gentle pale-lavender eyes walked in. She was holding a notepad and a pen, as usual.

(How are you today, Uzumaki-san?) Hinata wrote.

"Fine," Naruto replied gruffly. "And don't call me Uzumaki. It's annoying."

(Naruto…san?)

"And drop the 'san'-crap! I hate formal stuff." Naruto snapped, but Hinata wasn't affected at all by his mood.

(I'm sorry…Naruto-kun.) Hinata wrote quickly.

"Hn." Was all he said before he leaned onto his bed. "So, where's my breakfast? Are you planning to starve me?" Hinata smiled, and gently took something from the trolley behind her. She set it on the bedside table. Naruto looked at it. It was a plain white bowl, but inside there was some soup and noodles. The smell of it was familiar…but what was it called? And for some reason, he felt excited when looking at it, as if he wanted to eat it badly.

(That is called ramen. I…thought you would be tired of eating hospital food everyday.) Hinata explained.

"Ramen…" Naruto said slowly. Hinata nodded. He grabbed the bowl and the chopsticks beside it, and started to slurp the noodles into his mouth. He was shocked to discover that it tasted really, really good. He slurped some more, trying to not make it obvious he liked it. But Hinata seemed to see right through him.

(Do you like it?) She asked.

"It's…okay. It's better than the hospital food." Naruto admitted stubbornly, but Hinata knew he liked it.

(That is called 'miso ramen'. Maybe tomorrow I'll bring shrimp ramen or beef ramen for you.) She wrote. Naruto's eyes brightened for a split second but he instantly calmed down.

"Hn. Do what you want." He said grumpily. He set his finished bowl of ramen on the table and watched as Hinata picked it up and started to wash it. After she was done, she turned to him.

(Would you like anything else?) She asked, and Naruto shook his head.

(Alright, I'll be back in a minute.) Hinata bowed slightly and exited the room. Naruto stared out the window again. An airplane glided across the sky, making a slight rumbling noise. Naruto suddenly had memories…memories of an airplane, a perfect day with a cloudless blue sky, and a loud roaring noise. He slowly placed a hand over his face, his sapphire-blue eyes wide with shock and confusion.

'_W…What was that…?' _he thought, and desperately searched through his memory, only to find…nothing. He couldn't remember anything. Then what were those…flashbacks he had just a minute ago? He glanced wildly out the window, his eyes searching the endless pane of blue for any clue or some kind of hint. For what, though? Naruto turned his gaze back to the snowy-white sheets of his bed.

'_Why…why does the sky seem so familiar? The clear, blue sky…I feel as if I saw the scene before, but when? Why can't I remember anything!' _he thought angrily, and felt his confusion, pain, and frustration form into impatient anger. He felt like throwing something, but couldn't find anything to break. He felt like screaming out loud, so loud that the whole world could feel his pain, but he didn't. He felt it was pointless.

'_Everything is pointless…' _He thought, his anger vanishing into lingering sadness. He plopped down onto the bed and closed his eyes. He felt empty, devoid of any emotions or memories. He subconsciously fell into light slumber, hoping to calm his impatient mind…

_Pink hair blew softly in the breeze. He felt as if he could reach out and touch it…it seemed so soft and silky. Sparkling emerald eyes…a slight curve of the mouth. He wanted to reach out and hold them tight, but why? A sincere, caring smile…He wanted to smile, too, but…why? Where was he? Why was he there? Why did he exist? …Who am I?_

Naruto jerked awake, cold sweat running down his face. He found himself staring into sparkling pale-lavender eyes. Suddenly, he thought of emerald eyes and pink hair.

'_What was that dream all about?' _he thought, feeling slightly disturbed. He found himself staring at the mute girl leaning over him. She had a worried expression on her face, and she was writing something down on her notepad.

(What happened? Are you alright, Naruto-kun?) Naruto nodded grimly, gently pushing Hinata away from him. She looked at him with a confused look. He didn't say anything; his mind was too busy trying to analyze his dream. Hinata stared at him.

'_He seems troubled…' _she thought. Naruto opened his mouth to speak.

"I…want to be alone." He said quietly. Hinata's eyes softened and she nodded.

(Just ring the bell if you need anything.) Hinata indicated to the small brass bell hanging beside Naruto's bed. Naruto nodded slightly and closed his eyes when Hinata left the room. He felt his life was unfair. He plopped back down on the bed. He watched as the clouds drifted outside, filling him with a small amount of peace. He relaxed. But somewhere at the back of his mind, his dreams about the pink-haired girl remained.

0000000000…Nurses' Lounge…0000000000

Tenten leaned back on her chair casually as she sipped her cup of coffee. She was the only one in the room. She had managed to escape from her busy schedule for 5 minutes, but she had to see a patient soon. Tenten flipped through the profile papers of her new patient. The profile paper showed a picture of a pale-skinned young man with spiky black hair and obsidian eyes.

'_Tumor in his left lung…weak heart…severely injured from motorcycle accident 5 years ago…' _Tenten glanced at her watch and gasped.

"2:27! I'm late!" she exclaimed, and dashed out of the room.

Tenten panted slightly as she opened the door to the patient's room.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I…" she started to say, but fell silent when she noticed there was no one in the room. "Huh?" she said blankly, and tensed when she suddenly heard a voice behind her.

"Finally you came. You took so long, I had time to walk around the corridors once." Tenten turned around. A young man, around the same age as her, stood there with a small smirk on his face. Tenten realized he was her patient, Uchiha Sasuke. She stepped back and crossed her arms.

"Well, I said I was sorry. Now go sit down, please!" she said crossly. Great, she had a patient with an attitude. This could be troublesome.

"Hn." Was all Sasuke said as he entered the room and sat down on a chair. Tenten felt like strangling someone.

'_Ooh, just look at the way he sits! He acts as if he's all superior! I bet he has an ego large enough to fill this room!' _she thought, and calmed herself by taking a few deep breaths. She absolutely despised people with huge egos.

"So? Are you just going to stand there? I don't have all day, you know. I have a life, unlike certain people." Sasuke said in a monotone voice, making Tenten's temper rise slightly.

'_Let me correct myself…He has an ego big enough to fill this whole damn hospital!' _Tenten immediately plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Well, well, you must be Uchiha Sasuke! You're a famous actor, right? It's a pleasure to meet you!" she said brightly, with sarcasm dripping from every word she said. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched noticeably.

'_Heh, I bet he's never been disrespected by someone…what an obnoxious idiot.' _Tenten thought smugly.

"Just get on with it, woman." Sasuke snapped, obviously annoyed. Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"Get on with what?" she said mockingly, and smirked when Sasuke shot her a glare. "Fine, fine, we'll start the appointment. So," Tenten said, suddenly turning serious. "I've been told by your parents about your problem. We'll have to get you scanned so that I can come up with a proper treatment." Sasuke averted his eyes from her.

"…whatever." He muttered. Tenten looked at him curiously, and he glared at her. "What? Do I have something on my face?" he snapped, and Tenten shook her head.

"N…No, nothing…" she mumbled, and wrote down something on her clipboard. "Um, you're staying in room #1313, right?"

"1314." Sasuke corrected, and Tenten mentally slapped herself for her stupidity.

"Right…then I guess you can return to your room for now…I'll send someone to take you to the scanning room in 20 minutes." She said, and stood up to leave the room.

"Wait," Sasuke blurted out. Tenten turned around. "I think I should at least know my doctor's name." Tenten smirked slightly.

"I don't know if I'm your doctor for sure, but…my name's Tenten." She replied, and walked out of the room.

0000000000…Nurses' Lounge…0000000000

Hinata sat on the chair beside the open window. She closed her eyes as the cool breeze gently caressed her face. The sun was beginning to set, meaning it was almost evening. As she sat there, watching the sky, she felt herself drifting into a light slumber.

_9-year-old Hinata walked along the path to her house. The sky was clear and beautiful, and a small smile crept onto her face. Her smile grew wider as she saw the traditional Japanese-style roof of her house. When she reached the large wooden gates, she heard voices coming from the yard._

"_Hiashi, the time has come to decide the future leader of the Hyuuga. I'm guessing it will be your eldest daughter Hinata?" Hinata recognized the voice. It was her tutor, Sakamoto._

"…_No," Hinata's eyes widened as she recognized the voice of her father. "Hinata is disabled…she is unable to speak. How can a disabled person lead the Hyuuga? I will pass on my leadership to Hanabi." Hinata trembled as she tried hard not to cry. Even her father thought she was weak and useless. Hinata let go of the gate handles and ran away from the sight of her house. She didn't understand. So what if she was mute? Just because she was disabled didn't mean she was useless. She could do lots of stuff even without her voice! Why…_

Hinata opened her eyes. The sky was mixed with red and orange hues, and the sun was low on the horizon.

'_How long was I asleep?' _Hinata thought, rubbing her eyes. Just then, Tenten walked into the room.

"There you are, Hinata! I was looking for you! Hey, Ino, Temari, and I are going to the café down the street…wanna come?" she asked, and Hinata nodded with a smile. But inside, she felt disturbed from her dream.

'…_Father…'_

_**To be continued...**_

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That was the end of chapter 2…Oh, and I'm REALLY sorry for the delay. It's been a while, I know, but I promise my update will be much quicker next time.

Thank-you **Amaterasu-chan** for our review…I got an idea from what you said! **comanderlink**, well…you could say I was inspired by my own life. And to everyone else who left reviews, thank you very much!

So…do you:

Have any suggestions for the other pairs? Then **REVIEW.**

Have any advice for improving my writing? Then leave a good, lengthy **REVIEW.**

Have nothing to say but "Great job"? It's okay. **REVIEW.**

Have nothing to do but flame other people's writing? **THEN DON'T REVIEW AT ALL!**

Constructive criticism and helpful advice are welcomed with open arms, but unnecessary flames (i.e.: YOU SUCK! or YOU'RE HORRIBLE AT WRITING!) will be ignored. Simple as that.


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